Xiaomi 14 Civi review
Xiaomi 14 Civi offers a premium design, vibrant display, and versatile camera system, making it a strong contender in its price range.
Xiaomi 14 Civi is the newest addition to Xiaomi’s 14 series, designed to compete in the premium mid-range segment, similar to Samsung’s Galaxy FE lineup. Despite being a mid-range option, it shares many features with Xiaomi’s flagship models, promising a high-quality user experience. However, Xiaomi already has the T series serving a similar purpose, making it unclear how the Civi fits into the overall lineup.
Currently, Xiaomi 14 Civi is only available in India, while in China, it’s known as Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro. It’s uncertain if or when the device will be launched in other markets, especially with the T series release on the horizon.
Xiaomi 14 Civi is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, which is paired with a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Although the chipset’s name suggests it might be a slightly less powerful version of flagship SoC, it still offers strong performance, making 14 Civi a capable device in its category.
Main features:
| Feature | Details | Feature | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Dimensions | 157.2 x 72.8 x 7.5 mm, 178 g | Back Material | Glass or eco leather |
| Display | 6.55″ AMOLED, 120Hz, 1236 x 2750 px, 3000 nits | Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 |
| Memory Options | 256GB + 8GB RAM or 512GB + 12GB RAM | OS | Android 14 |
Xiaomi 14 Civi Specification
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| 🌐 Network | Supports GSM, HSPA, LTE, and 5G networks |
| 📅 Launch | Announcement Date: June 12, 2024 Availability: From June 20, 2024 |
| 📏 Body | Size: 157.2 x 72.8 x 7.5 mm Weight: 177.6 g Materials: Glass front and back with an aluminum frame SIM: Dual Nano-SIM slots |
| 📱 Display | Type: AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support Size: 6.55 inches Resolution: 1236 x 2750 pixels Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| ⚙️ Platform | Operating System: Android 14 Chipset: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Processor: Octa-core Graphics: Adreno 735 |
| 💾 Memory | Internal Storage: Options of 256GB with 8GB RAM, or 512GB with 12GB RAM |
| 📷 Main Camera | Triple Setup: 50 MP wide lens, 50 MP telephoto lens, 12 MP ultrawide lens Video Recording: Supports up to 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 960fps |
| 🤳 Selfie Camera | Dual Setup: 32 MP wide lens, 32 MP ultrawide lens Video Recording: 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps |
| 🔊 Sound | Speakers: Stereo Headphone Jack: Not available |
| 📡 Connectivity | Wi-Fi: Supports Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth: Version 5.4 NFC: Enabled Infrared Port: Available USB: Type-C 2.0 |
| 📲 Sensors | Includes under-display fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and compass |
| 🔋 Battery | Capacity: 4700 mAh Charging Speed: 67W wired, full charge in 40 minutes |
| 🎨 Misc | Color Options: Blue, Green, Black Price: ₹42,999 |
| 🧪 Performance | Benchmark: AnTuTu score of 1,530,876 Display Brightness: 1441 nits (maximum) Speaker Quality: Rated as good (-26.6 LUFS) |
Design
Xiaomi 14 Civi stands out with its sleek and compact design, making it easy and comfortable to hold. The front and back glass panels are gently curved, creating a smooth and elegant look. Phone’s thin aluminum frame enhances its slim feel, while the curved display edges give it a refined appearance.
Shadow Black model has a matte back glass that resists smudges and fingerprints, while the Cruise Blue variant features a two-tone textured back. There’s also the Matcha Green version, which uses vegan leather with a unique glass pattern. This model is slightly thicker but lighter than the glass versions. The camera is housed in a circular assembly with a stylish design, adding to the phone’s overall aesthetic. Despite its sophisticated design, the Xiaomi 14 Civi lacks an official IP rating for water and dust resistance which is a minor drawback.
Display
Xiaomi 14 Civi features a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2750 x 1236 and a 120Hz refresh rate. Display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is curved on all four edges, giving the illusion of a fully curved screen. Display is incredibly bright, with a peak brightness of 3000 nits, ensuring clear visibility even outdoors.
You can adjust the refresh rate and color settings to your preference, with options for different color presets and fine-tuning the display’s color balance. The phone supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, providing a rich and vibrant viewing experience, especially in apps like Netflix. However, the pill-shaped cutout for the dual cameras at the top of the screen can be slightly distracting during media consumption. Display also includes a fingerprint sensor, though its low placement may not be the most convenient.
Battery and Charging
Xiaomi 14 Civi is powered by a 4700mAh battery, which is a bit smaller than some of its competitors. However, it supports 67W fast charging and a full charge takes just 44 minutes. Phone does warm up during charging, so it’s not the most comfortable to hold while it’s plugged in.
Phone also offers optimized charging, which adjusts the charging speed based on your usage patterns to protect battery health. Although we didn’t perform a full battery test, phone typically lasts about a day on a single charge with regular use.
Speakers
Xiaomi 14 Civi comes with stereo speakers, one at the bottom and the other within the earpiece, which also has a grille for better sound distribution. The speakers deliver good mid and high frequencies, making them suitable for watching videos. However, they lack strong bass, and the sound quality can be inconsistent at higher volumes. Phone does not include a headphone jack, but USB audio dongles work well for wired audio.
Software
Xiaomi 14 Civi runs on HyperOS, Xiaomi’s new layer on top of Android 14. It promises three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates. HyperOS is a refined version of the previous MIUI with some extra customization features. However, it still feels very similar to MIUI especially with its strong iOS influence.
Phone comes with minimal bloatware, with only six third-party apps pre-installed, all of which can be removed. However, Xiaomi’s GetApps store frequently pushes third-party apps and ads are still present in many first-party apps. This continues to be a downside for Xiaomi’s software as users have to manually disable ads and recommendations.
Performance
Xiaomi 14 Civi is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset with 12GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Phone performs well in everyday use with smooth scrolling and a responsive UI, though occasional stutters suggest minor software optimization issues.
In gaming, phone handles modern titles well, though it struggles to maintain a stable 60FPS. It stays relatively cool during use, even under stress. In thermal tests, Xiaomi 14 Civi performed admirably, maintaining most of its peak performance even after extended periods, showing it can effectively manage heat despite its compact size.
Camera Overview of Xiaomi 14 Civi
Xiaomi 14 Civi features a Leica-branded triple camera system on the back:
- Main Camera: 50MP with an f/1.63 aperture using the OmniVision Light Hunter 800 (OVX8000) sensor.
- 2x Optical Zoom Camera: 50MP with an f/1.98 aperture using the Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor.
- Ultra-Wide Camera: 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture using the OmniVision OV13B sensor.
For selfies, the front has two 32MP cameras:
- Wide Lens: f/2.0 aperture with auto-focus.
- Ultra-Wide Lens: f/2.4 aperture with fixed focus.
Camera App Experience
Camera app on the Xiaomi 14 Civi is quite feature-rich, comparable to flagship models. It includes various modes such as a Movie mode with a 21:9 aspect ratio and offers Leica Vibrant and Authentic profiles along with Leica color filters. Users can also add Leica-branded watermarks. However, there was a bug in our unit where the Pro HDR display feature occasionally stopped working.
Image Quality
Main 50MP camera delivers detailed images with minimal sharpening, especially in the Leica Vibrant profile which offers slightly saturated but mostly accurate colors. The Leica Authentic mode, expected to produce more natural colors, sometimes oversaturates them and applies a heavy vignette, making it more suitable for artistic shots.
While highlights are captured well, camera tends to crush shadow details, leading to darker images in high-contrast scenes. Adjusting metering can sometimes cause overexposure particularly with darker skin tones.
Telephoto and Ultra-Wide Cameras
50MP telephoto camera provides impressive detail and quality with decent results even at 4x zoom. However, quality drops significantly beyond 5x. Ultra-wide camera, despite its lower 12MP resolution, also produces good images.
Front Cameras
Both front cameras capture sharp images but save them at 32MP which is unnecessary and leads to upscaled results that don’t look great at 100% zoom.
Video Performance
Xiaomi 14 Civi records 4K video with good detail and stabilization but the main camera’s autofocus can be jittery-+ especially in close-up scenes. Telephoto camera handles video well without autofocus issues and the ultra-wide camera produces decent 4K video though noise is a problem in shadow areas, even in bright light.
Overall, Xiaomi 14 Civi offers a fun photography experience, with its vibrant colors and contrasty images leaning towards a more artistic style. The camera app’s features and the device’s ability to capture detailed stills and videos make it a versatile choice for users who enjoy creative photography. However, those looking for more natural, unprocessed images might find the styling a bit much.
Xiaomi 14 Civi Pros and Cons
| 👍 Pros | 👎Cons |
|---|---|
| 🌟 Premium and lightweight design | 🎥 Videos have a magenta tint |
| 💡 Bright, feature-rich display | 🔋 Battery life is below average |
| ⚡ Fast charging | 🔊 Loudspeakers sound flat |
| 📷 Versatile camera system | 💧 No water resistance |
| 📦 8GB RAM, 256GB storage | 📱 No eSIM support |
| 🚀 Strong chipset for the price | 👎 |
Conclusion
Xiaomi 14 Civi stands out in many ways. It feels solid and comfortable to hold and display is impressively bright both indoors and outdoors. Camera while having a unique color style, encourages artistic photography and delivers great results. Performance and charging speeds are also strong points.
However, software is a downside with too many ads and pre-installed apps. Battery life is average and the phone lacks water resistance which might be a concern for some.
Priced at INR 42,999 (or INR 47,999 for the tested model), Xiaomi 14 Civi offers a great overall package despite these drawbacks, making it one of the best options in its price range.
